Saving Private Len (RinxLen)
by AlfaBetaGregor
Summary: During the Second World War, values like love and friendship are striving to survive. What happens if Private Kagamine Len gets lot during a mission, and the only one who is determined to go after him is Nurse Kagamine Rin? Historical action-drama series in chapters, spiced with Vocaloids (RinxLen, MikuxKaito and others).
1. The pilot and the nurse

**Hello everyone, Gregor here! This time I'm trying out something new: historical drama mixed with Vocaloids! I'm planning on writing more chapters, so keep up with reading!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Vocaloid!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _1941, Japan, Hamamatsu Air Base, Imperial Japanese Navy Flock_

The 76th Nakajima Fighter Platoon arrived early in the afternoon. The first to land was Capt. Shion Kaito, leader of the squad. His _A6M Zero_ was shining; it was like it has never seen battle. Compared to that, Private Kagamine Len's fighter was a wreck.

Private Kagamine Len was the last one to land at Hamamatsu at 14:32. His Zero had bullet-holes all around the cockpit, as well as the plane's back. Len himself wasn't in much better state: a ricocheted bullet bounced right through the window and hit his left arm, which was bleeding heavily. Despite that - thanks to his excellent flying skills - Private Len kept fighting in the frontline, shooting down enemies until nobody remained.

Not that he wanted to take all the credit. He was just following his orders.

Private Len clumsily got out of his plane and jumped down. He immediately regretted it, as the wound re-opened and started bleeding again. Len grabbed his pilot helmet and put it over the wound to catch up as much blood as he could.

'Good job, Private Kagamine' said Capt. Shion.

'Not at all' bowed Private Len. 'I could have done much better.'

'Standby until your plane gets repaired' ordered Capt. Shion. 'Meanwhile, check in the medic tent. Have the nurses take care of your wound.'

'Yes, sir!' Private Len bowed and hurried away.

Private Len left his Zero at the hands of the maintenance staff and through the airport he headed to the green tent. His helmet was soaked by blood, but he didn't care about it. A helmet can be replaced. An arm cannot.

By the time he got to the tent, he was feeling fuzzy, slowly losing balance from the blood loss. A nurse with teal hair and blue eyes caught him, and - not wanting to show any weakness - Private Len quickly stood up on his own.

'Welcome, Kagamine Len-san' said Miku. 'Injured again?'

Private Len didn't even nod. He was just staring at the depths of the tent where the dirty white beds were lined up, obviously searching for someone. Miku didn't have to think for too long to understand the longing behind his gaze.

'Shall I get you Rin-cha-, Nurse Rin-san?' Miku asked.

Private Len looked at Miku and nodded. Miku sat him down on a bed and rushed away. Private Len looked after the teal hair until it disappeared in the crowd of nurses. The tent was full of wounded soldiers, moaning, screaming and crying in pain. Private Len was the only one who didn't feel pain anymore. A soldier doesn't need that sense. In his credo, it only slows them down in completing orders.

'You again?!' Private Len heard a girl's voice from behind his back.

He turned around to see the blonde nurse he was secretely waiting for. Her white nurse dress was dirty, her apron had dried blood on it, but her hands were shining clean and her cerulean eyes were full of life and determination. When she saw Private Len, she rapidly approached him and immediately started searching for bandages.

'Take off your shirt' she ordered without even looking up from her doctor's bag.

Private Len just went along. Many upper-class leaders didn't like that Nurse Rin had such strong masculine character, but Private Len was different. He wasn't annoyed by her bossy attitude the least. There was something unexplainable in her voice that made Private Len obey her without thinking twice.

After Private Len placed the blood-soaked shirt on the bed, he exposed his wound. When she looked at his unclothed chest, Nurse Rin's cheeks flushed for a split moment, but she quickly shook it off. She sprayed some disinfectant on a paper towel and started cleaning the wound. Private Len was just sitting on the bed without a word, gazing at the blonde nurse's troubled face.

'Why do you have to _always_ come back in pieces?' Nurse Rin mumbled under her nose. 'And your fighter is in an even worse state!'

When Private Len didn't answer, Nurse Rin threw the bloodied piece of cloth away with an annoyed huff.

'Why can't you just take better care of yourself?' Nurse Rin mumbled quietly.

'...I always came back, didn't I?' asked Private Len.

'And do you think that's enough?!' Nurse Rin was almost yelling. 'Do you have any idea how it feels day by day to keep treating your wounds, knowing that tomorrow you'll come back with new ones?'

Private Len fell silent, earning an annoyed sigh from the blonde nurse. Out of all the soldiers and injured Nurse Rin treated, Private Len grew the closest to her heart. For some reason, when she was thinking about the private not coming back anymore, her knees felt like shaking... Nurse Rin quickly shook off the frightening thought and finished bandaging the private.

'Done' she said. 'Let me check your other wounds.'

With practiced hands Nurse Rin unwrapped the dirty bandages. She quickly cleaned up the dried blood and put on some fresh bandages. When she was done, she stepped back and gladly eyed her good work.

'Try not to get injured, okay?' Nurse Rin lectured the private. 'Also, I'd like to check how your wounds are healing, so be sure to come back tomorrow, okay?'

Private Len nodded and pulled on his shirt. Nurse Rin turned away and proceeded to go and treat other patients. She however was stopped by a palm firmly placed on her shoulder. She spun around, only to find herself binded in the gaze of two cerulean orbs.

'W-what is it?' she asked, silently cursing herself for stuttering. She never ever stuttered in front of anyone, so why did she stutter in front of a simple soldier?

With his unharmed arm Private Len reached into his back pocket. For a moment Nurse Rin thought that he was reaching for his handgun, but no... Private Len pulled out something ball-shaped wrapped in white kerchief and put it into the surprised nurse's hand, which smelled like chlorine.

'Take this as my thanks' Private Len said, gazing at the blonde nurse's cerulean eyes. 'For always healing me.'

Before Nurse Rin had any chance to say anything, Private Len turned around and rapidly left the medic tent. Nurse Rin curiously opened the kerchief a bit, but immediately closed it back when she saw a glimpse of orange and the sour scent of citrus hit her nose.

 _'Where did Len get this?'_ Nurse Rin asked from herself in thought.

'Rin-chan!' Miku's voice was calling her. 'We have a patient with legs broken at three places! Help me out a bit!'

'Yes!' Nurse Rin slipped the orange in the purse of her belt. 'I'm coming!'

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

'But still, breaking the embargo was quite the feat, Private' said Kaito.

The evening quickly came. Most of the pilots of the 76th Nakajima Fighter Platoon were either in bed or were about to go to bed. The only exceptions were Capt. Shion and Private Len. Despite the eventful day, none of them felt tired, and now they were sitting behind the barrack. Kaito was drinking cheap sake from a metal bottle, while Private Len was gazing up the night sky.

'What else could I have done?' asked the private. 'Asides orange and peace, I have no idea what Rin-san likes.'

'And you cannot give her peace' nodded Kaito.

'Not now, at least' corrected Private Len his superior insolently. 'I'll work hard so that she... I mean everyone can live in peace.'

'You really love her, don't you?' emptied Kaito the metal flask.

Private Len didn't say anything. True; from the moment he saw the blonde haired, blue-eyed nurse at the day before Japan launched its first attack, he knew that he was feeling something he's never felt before. This naturally excluded the possibility of him falling in love with her because she was nursing him. At least, that was what the private believed. And he was right.

'I see' said Kaito, reading the meaning behind the silence. 'I wish you'd just ask her out.'

'You know it isn't that simple' said Private Len. 'I shouldn't confess her before the war ends. If she really feels something towards me and we get together, if I die it'll scar her for a life.'

'At least you could spend some time together' pointed out Kaito. 'If you're really planning on dying.'

'I don't want to die' said the private darkly. 'But without my _Zero_ and the army, I'm just a nobody from Kyoto.'

'Without the nurse uniform, Kagamine-san is also just a nobody from Tokyo' said Kaito, and when he saw Private Len opening his mouth he quickly added: 'Without the captain uniform, I'm just a simple nobody from Nagano. Everyone is the same here. This is a land of nobodies, private.'

After this statement both of the soldiers fell in silence. Gazing at the black night sky, Private Len remembered Nurse Rin's cerulean eyes. In sunlight, the pair of orbs had exactly the color of the endless sky. When he first looked into them, Private Len felt like he way flying on the real sky. This was a feeling Private Len never wanted to forget.

Private Len was determined to protect the wearer of the cerulean eyes more than anything.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

The night shift came, and both Nurse Miku and Nurse Rin made their escape from the green tent. Sadly, because of the lack of fresh water (and because they were girls) they didn't have the chance to take a shower. Instead, they put water on a few towels and with a piece of washing soap they helped each other scrape away the dirt from their bodies.

'Len-san came in injured today as well, didn't he?' asked Miku, washing Rin's back with a towel.

'He did!' exclaimed the blonde nurse. 'Even if I warned him yesterday that I won't treat him next time he comes in trashed, he still did!'

'And you still treated him' Miku said, making Rin pout.

'Of course I did!' Nurse Rin was almost shouting. 'Do you think I'd let him die?'

'Of course I don't, silly' Miku tried calming down her friend. 'You love him, after all.'

Nurse Rin didn't answer. It was difficult for her to determine what kind of relationship she has with the blond ace pilot. True, they saw each other on the first day she arrived, but they didn't even exchange words, only made eye contract...

Nurse Rin felt her face heating up at the thought of the private's cerulean eyes. It could have hardly been coincidence that a boy identical to her in appearance was working at the same air base as she did. Nurse Rin didn't believe in fate, but she believed in coincidences even less.

She was also an intelligent person, always trying to build up a clear picture about herself in her mind. This is why when she realized she has feelings for the blond private, she brought up the possibility of those feelings being the result of the Florence Nightingale effect. This theory was quickly left abandoned. Her heart was jumping on the first day she saw him. She couldn't have fallen for him because she was taking care of him!

'Lost in thought again, I see' said Miku. 'Why don't you just make the first move?'

'T-that isn't something I can do!' Nurse Rin exclaimed, with her ears being red. 'Len... Len- _san_ seems to be a traditional person. If I made the first move, he'd dump me in an instant!'

'That said, I've never seen you caring about tradition before' said Miku. 'I mean, the way you stood up in front of the council about the doctor who was stealing painkillers... you have to admit that it was anything _but_ traditional.'

Miku chuckled at her best friend's bright red face. In her eyes, Nurse Rin was a woman of outstanding character. She stood up for her justice, even if it meant offending higher-ups and respected men. Sure, she got in trouble because of that, but in the end, she was always right. All Nurse Rin really wanted was to help everyone survive the war - something Miku could relate to.

'Miku-chan?' Rin's voice felt distant for Miku. 'Are you thinking about Mikuo-san?'

Miku shook her head to chase away the thoughts. She quickly brushed off the single tear on her cheek and smiled at the worried-looking blonde nurse.

'There's no point in grieving over the dead' said Miku. 'My brother was a brave person and an honest fool. Bad combination - especially on the battlefield.'

Miku stood up, dried herself and threw on the used clothes. She combed her back in two twintails and walked to the exit.

'I have something to do' she said. 'I'll be back by midnignt.'

With that, Miku was gone. Nurse Rin knew exactly where she was going; the slowly blooming romance between Head Nurse Miku and Capt. Shion Kaito was a popular gossip between the nurses. Well, except that nobody had the guts to mention it when Miku was present.

Nurse Rin also dried herself and put on her uniform. After a while, she got used to sleeping in it. At home, she usually slept naked, but in the air base, with lots of sudden emergencies, sleeping in her uniform was more practical. Not to mention that this way she didn't have soldiers spying at her through the window anymore. Especially since Nurse Rin once came out in the middle of the night with a large scissor in her hand, threatening them that she'll cut off their manhood if they keep spying at her.

When she made sure nobody was watching her, Nurse Rin carefully pulled out the kerchief-covered orb and unwrapped the paper. She was staring at the small orange for a while, then - without even peeling it - she ate the whole orange. It was her favorite fruit, but she haven't eaten one since she was a child. She thought that oranges couldn't even be bought in Japan anymore. She had no idea how Private Len got one.

The orange was gone, and Nurse Rin was staring at the kerchief for a while. She then brought her fingers to her nose and deeply inhaled the sour scent. Then, she went to the sink, grabbed a piece of soap and made sure that not even a trace of the orange scent remained. Private Len could've gotten in trouble if others got to know about this.

Nurse Rin then blew out the faint flame of the oil lamp, laid down the bed and wrapped the thin blanket around her body. She closed her eyes and like she was praying, she whispered:

'Be safe, Len.'

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

 _1943, New Guinea, Madang Air Base_

The 76th Nakajima Fighter Platoon was quickly approaching the American convoy. The alert only arrived twelve minutes ago, and Capt. Shion Kaito immediately ordered his platoon to attack. Alongside them, the 65th and 82nd Nakajima Fighter Platoons were flying as well, fully armed, ready to bomb the whole convoy.

Private Kagamine Len was flying in the frontline of the formation, and was the first to make visual contract with the enemy. Six ships (two ammunation carriers and four light crusiers) were sailing towards a group of small islands. Those islands were key strategic points for both Japan and the USA in the marine war. Capt. Shion Kaito was informed about the possibility of an incoming Americam attack, but he didn't think they'd arrive _this_ soon.

'Message... pincer attack... aim the carriers... hail the emperor...' Kaito's message sounded through the pilots' radios.

This was what Private Len was waiting for. The formation dissolved, and Private Len joined the middle wing to execute a diversion attack. When the crusiers opened fire from their cannons, every pilot of the middle wing executed an evasive maneuver and without responding the fire they slowly flew closer to the crusiers.

At first, the plan seemed successful. While the crusiers' heavy cannons were occupied with the middle wing, the left and right wings encircled around them and fired their torpedoes at the carriers. Both of them took heavy hits, and by the time it was Private Len's time to attack, the smaller carrier has already found its underwater grave.

'Left wing... join... middle wing attack... target the bridge...' sounded Kaito's next orders.

Private Len left his beloved sky and flew low above the sea, followed by the rest of the middle wing. Some of them were shot down by the crusier cannons during the diversion attack, but after one of Private Len's gun strikes hit a communication tower, the crusier's left side fell in silence. Private Len approached the back of the crusier and together with a few pilots he shot his torpedoes at the stern.

The back of the crusier was engulfed by flames. With a smile, Private Len changed direction and flew high, ready to land the next attack on the last crusier. Because of this, he was along the first to see the mission's failure.

'Ambush... from the East... numbers around three hundred... abort mission... repeat, abort mission' Kaito sent his orders through the radio.

Private Len looked around. A fleet of shining metal planes were approaching the battlefield rapidly, obviously targeting the Nakajima Fighter Platoons. Their first victims were the pilots of the back wing, whose planes fell into the sea one by one, covered in flames and smoke.

A line of bullets barreled next to Private Len's _Zero_ , almost hitting one of his comrades. The private immediately changed direction and quickly took down two attackers. This however caused many other enemy pilots to target him. Private Len dodged the next shots and flew low, tailing as much pilots as he could.

'Private Len... retreat... order...' Kaito sent his instructions through the radio.

'Buying time... tailing enemy pilots... end transmission...' sounded Private Len's answer.

As the remaining Japanese pilots were slowly getting further and further, chased by the gunfire of U.S. pilots, Private Len turned around and shot down the two closest fighters. Their attention again shifted towards the Private, who wasn't giving up yet.

Even against the superior numbers, Private Len was able to hold his own. His talent and skill of flying was shining blindingly even at the American pilots, who fell down from the sky one by one after the shots released by the blonde master pilot. Private Len didn't take his eyes off his enemies, not even for a second, constantly monitoring the whole battlefield. He suddenly lifted up the nose of his _Zero_ , flying straight up and getting behind his chasers with a loop.

Five more enemy pilots became the victim of Private Len's deadly aim in their back. His beloved cerulean skies were now completely covered by black smoke, left by the planes which will never land on a carrier again. A group of jungle islands appeared on the edge of the horizon...

Disaster came after another disaster. A high-pitched beeping noise filled the cockpit, signaling the dangerously low fuel level. In the long chase, Private Len got too far and wasted too much fuel. Even if he wasn't originally planning on returning, the noise was enough to distract him for a second.

Even a delay of _one_ second can decide between life and death.

The whole Zero shook as flames bursted out of the wings. A moment later Private Len was able to make out a Grumman F6F _Hellcat_ , which miraculously was able to remain in his blind spot until it opened fire at him. Private Len firmly grabbed the joystick, regained control over his _Zero_ as much as it was possible and turned around to counter-attack. As he got closer to the _Hellcat_ , he noticed the many black marks on the side of the plane, becoming incredibly furious.

The two master-pilots crashed in the air. Bullets flew in straight trajectories towards the planes, most of them missed, but a few reached the targets. The opposing planes weren't equal: the _Zero_ had tougher armor and better guns, but the _Hellcat_ was superior in terms of movability and speed. When for a moment the planes crossed next to each other, Private Len was able to make out a glimpse of silver hair and a single blue eye...

The _Zero_ shook once again as bullets found their way in the cockpit. Private Len looked around and clenched his teeth in anger. He was taken away by the pace of the duel so much that he forgot to keep an eye at the other pilots. Two American aircrafts were approaching him quickly, releasing their deadly hell of lead. As much as he could, Private Len evaded the bullets and turned his plane towards the islands, trying to make up a new plan...

Hell broke loose as more bullets hit the wing of the _Zero_. Private Len increased the speed, not even caring about the lack of fuel anymore. All he wanted was to get as close to the island as possible, in case he has to execute an emergency landing... The whole _Zero_ cracked as the American master pilot's bullets tore down the left wing.

The last thing Private Len remembered before he lost consciousness was Nurse Rin's cerulean eyes.


	2. The great escape

_Later that day..._

Many objects fell on the floor as Capt. Shion Kaito was tossed against the shelf. He didn't really have a chance to sigh in relief, as Nurse Rin grabbed his neck with both of her hands. Even if the blonde nurse was one and a half heads shorter than the captain, her fury seemed to multiply her height and strength.

'Where is he?!' Nurse Rin shouted. 'Where is Len?!'

Soldiers reached to their guns and short katanas to restrain the mad nurse if necessary. The blue-haired captain however halted them by raising his hand. He placed his hand on the nurse's, trying to calm her down and in process loosen her painfully strong grip on his shoulder.

'Rin-chan, calm down...' said Miku, who was brought in by the soldiers. She was known as the only person who can stop the raging nurse.

'I'm not calming down!' Nurse Rin shouted.

Miku placed her hands on the blonde girl's shoulder and gently pulled her back. Nurse Rin let the captain's neck go, but was still sending death glares at him. Kaito brushed down the invisible dust from his uniform and straightened up.

'As it's stated in the report' Kaito said 'Private Kagamine Len was reported to be lost during mission. He abandoned his orders and went after the American fighters. This was the last time he was seen.'

'And _you_ think this is enough reason to not even send a single scout after him?' Nurse Rin shouted.

'We don't have neither the foundings nor the manpower to search for a dead private' Capt. Kaito stated firmly.

'But you would send out a whole company if a sergeant was lost, wouldn't you?' Nurse Rin yelled.

'Rin-chan' Miku grabbed her arm. 'Let's go back to the medic tent. There is nothing we can do for Len-san here.'

The whole room fell silent. In secret, everyone knew that the blonde nurse was right. Nobody was really interested in bringing back a private who might already be dead. And nobody wanted to do anything - including the ones present.

'I don't care!' Nurse Rin yelled. 'Send out a few planes and prove me he's dead! I know he isn't!'

'Nurse Rin!' Kaito raised his voice. 'Stop this at once!'

Nurse Rin shut up. Even she had to bow in front of the power. Her social status didn't allow her to defy such an order. Even if she was about to burst out in anger, she had to remain silent.

'You are to be transferred back to Japan in three days' said Kaito.

'What?' Nurse Rin couldn't keep her voice low.

'Also' Miku stepped ahead' from today for three days you're taking the night shift. Now go and get some sleep.'

The blonde nurse was staring at the bluenette and tealette with beet red face. Then, without saying anything she angrily swiped down all the papers from Kaito's desk and rushed out of the office. Nobody noticed in the chaos that meanwhile Private Len's service papers disappeared in the blonde nurse's dirty white apron.

'Everyone, leave at once!' Capt. Kaito turned to his N.C.O.-s.

The officers nodded and left. The captain was left alone in his office; the only one who didn't leave was Miku. The teal-haired nurse stepped next to him and confrontingly held his hand.

'Weren't we a bit too harsh at her?' Miku whispered. 'I know that I'm her superior, but still...'

'This was the right thing to do' Kaito stated. 'We cannot predict what she did if she stayed here.'

'I know, but still...' Miku gave voice to her uncertainty.

Unable to find the proper words Miku didn't continue. Kaito let her hand go and confrontingly hugged her from behind. Miku's tense shoulders relaxed at her lover's touch. She hugged his arms and tenderly kissed his hand, enjoying the comfront after the hard days.

'You don't believe that Len-san is dead either, do you?' she asked quietly.

'Private Len is the best pilot I've ever seen' said Kaito. 'My skills are nothing compared to his skills. I... find hard to believe that he'd die this easily. But my moves are limited.'

'Have you been ordered to do nothing by the leaderboard?' Miku asked.

'By General Kamui himself' said the captain. 'I got a little too worked-up against him. He has his eyes on me now. The only thing I can do is making sure that Rin-san won't do anything stupid.'

'Len-san... did he really love Rin-chan?' Miku looked at Kaito in the eyes.

'He did' Kaito sighed. 'He really did.'

They both fell in silence after that statement. Kaito's arms were still around Miku's shoulders, holding her tightly. Miku didn't want to get the arms unwrapped. Like Rin, she was always afraid that the person she loves more than anything one day won't come home. Rin's fear have just became reality. Miku was afraid hers will be the next.

'I'll keep an eye on Rin-chan' Miku said. 'Time to make my position as the head nurse useful.'

But Nurse Rin didn't come to take the night shift that evening. Her room - which she shared with Miku - was found untouched and empty. Nurse Rin seemed to have wanished from the base. On the other hand, a blond soldier, dressed in a private uniform, equipped with Kagamine Len's service papers boarded a vessel towards Borneo - and was never seen again.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

 _1943, Tarakan, Borneo_

Kanase Teto has sent three years in Borneo. Before the war, she was studying to become a news reporter and in 1930 she got a fine-paying job at a big newspaper company in Japan. She was one of the few privileged women who were allowed to freely travel into different countries. In 1936 she got married and in 1938 she gave birth to her first daughter, Miki.

As quick-thinking and adroit she was, when Japan declared war she immediately acted to protect her family. Either by nice words or a few hundred _yen_ s she managed to move her family out of Japan. However, by the time they got in Borneo both her money and her favors ran out, trapping the small family in Tarakan. Lacking the proper papers Teto had no hopes of getting her husband and daughter to America or Hong Kong, where they could seek asylum.

Well, not until now.

The noon Sun was bombing the town with its deadly rays, making the heat in the humid area even more unbearable. Teto pulled back into a shady ally between two houses to hide from the heat. Her heart was beating in her throat. She had no false hopes of Japan winning the war, and wasn't dare to risk her family's life for a failed attempt. If this deal goes well, she can save her family.

A light touch on her back made her freeze for a moment. She slowly and carefully turned around, her right hand slowly getting closer to her belt, where her knife was resting. Her shoulders conspicuously relaxed as she saw a pair of cerulean eyes.

'Do you have it?' asked the blond private quietly.

Teto nodded and reached into her bag. She pulled out a brown envelope, which seemed to be filled with many papers. The young soldier's crusty hand took it and swiftly opened it. The first thing to be pulled out was a black and white, blurry picture.

'Where was this taken?' asked the private on a hoarse voice.

'Close to an island called Bali' answered Teto. 'The picture is blurry because the reporter was shooting from a boat, using a cheap camera, but you can clearly see the-'

'I know' the private interrupted her.

Teto gulped. The private contracted her almost half a year ago, asking information about a certain disappearance. Teto dug out as many photos and pieces of civilian report as she could, inevitably becoming familiar with the case. The picture they just looked at was indeed blurry, but the smoking, falling _Zero_ was clearly visible on it.

What Teto was expecting from the case wasn't money though. She was more interested in what the private had offered her: something she just couldn't ignore.

'Uhhm...' Teto tried to take the soldier's attention, who started examining the pictures. 'About our deal...'

A single glance from the pair of the cerulean eyes was enough to freeze the words in her throat. Something about this private made Teto feel uneasy. The soldier wasn't after money or rank, that much was clear for her. The motivations were a mystery even in front of the redhead reporter.

Keeping Teto binded with his eyes the private reached into his bag and pulled out a big white envelope. Teto unpatiently reached for it, her hands shaking with the desire that has been giving her motivation in the three years she spent at Borneo, one step away from freedom.

'Everything you asked is in there' said the private quietly. 'I filled a shipment for the three of you. You and your husband have to cross the border as Japanese spies. The soldiers should let you through without intervention. Once you arrive to Singapore, visit the American embassy and give yourselves up.'

'What about my daughter?' asked Teto. 'The soldiers will question us about why we brought her along.'

'Tell them that she's there to make your backstory as fugitives and enemies of the Empire of Japan more credible' said the soldier. 'If you act like a spy, they won't cause problems.'

Teto couldn't say anything. She was aware that Private Kagamine was working at the Foreign Affairs. As their courier and scribe, he had access to blank official papers and almost all of the imperial stamps. Three papers of transportation for her and her family... there was no way Teto would refuse such an offer.

'Don't tell about this to anyone' said the private. 'If you do, you'll rot in prison.'

'I won't' promised Teto. 'Thank you...'

But the private wasn't paying attention anymore. Teto watched the soldier turning around and leaving the alley with quick footsteps. Teto now had a vague idea of what the private's secret was. A commoner (or even a soldier) wouldn't even notice such a detail, but it caused no problem to the experienced reporter Teto. She knew exactly that a male soldier wouldn't have a butt of such shape in the military trousers.

And everyone knows that women cannot become soldiers in the Imperial Army. At least, not legally.

Kagamine Rin quickly made her way to the barrack. She hid the brown envelope in her coat, which had the name "Private Kagamine Len" on it. She could hardly stop herself from skipping and singing. This would have immediately shattered her camouflage, which she still needed.

' _Bali_!' she thought. ' _Len must be there!_ '

Right after she arrived to the barrack she hurried to her bed. She was searching in her chest until she pulled out something wrapped in a pair of socks. Inside, a few papers were hiding. Those were blank writs of translocation, stamped and signaled by the local sergeant. Rin quickly filled one in Len's name, and by the evening she was sitting on a vessel towards Bali.

 _Meanwhile at Madang Air base..._

Sgt. Shion Kaito was sitting behind his desk, writing today's reports. This was causing him minor problems, as his left arm was covered in gypsum. He broke it in a battle five days ago, when he flew too close to an anti-air cannon and a charge exploded right behind his plane. This alone couldn't have caused much problem for Kaito, but the emergency landing with a missing aileron did the trick. Since he got discharged, he's been living on paperwork and painkillers.

A polite knocking on the door made him look up from his papers. After a short "Come in!", the door opened and the light infiltrating the blinds illuminated long, teal hair.

'Miku!' Kaito gave voice to his surprise.

The called nurse placed a finger on her lips and quietly closed the door. She walked to the desk and placed a flask on the top of the papers.

'Sake!' Kaito exclaimed. Miku giggled at him.

'I figured you wanted to take a little rest after days of hard work' said Miku. 'This is also my opinion as the head nurse, so take it as a recipe!'

Using his healthy hand Kaito took the lid off the flask and quickly drank some sake. Invigorated by the drink the sergeant gladly sat back on his chair, stretched his legs and eyed his beautiful wife.

Kaito pushed his chair backwards with his legs and pointed at his lap. Miku nodded in understanding and casting aside all the etiquette she gladly hopped at her husband's lap. She let him caress her hair and giggled when he kissed her neck.

'Are there any news from Rin-chan?' enquired Miku.

Kaito shook his head. Truthfully, he hasn't been working much on that case, and Miku completely understood why. The disappereance of the blonde nurse has been bugging the higher-ups since then. General Kamui personally ordered Kaito to report any new information to him. However, since he had no intention of getting Nurse Rin into prison, Kaito decided not to rush things.

After Nurse Rin went missing, the first thing the ex-captain did was searching for Private Len's service papers in his desk. He wasn't even surprised when he didn't find them. Miku convinced him to not report the missing papers and let Rin run. After all, she was versatile enough to make such escape in front of many officers. By then, Miku had faith that Rin would be able to find Len if they left her alone.

The problems came when General Kamui started his own investigation. Kaito knew that Rin was using Len's papers, and if the warning that the papers got stolen was sent off, the fugitive nurse would have been caught in days. To avoid this, Kaito quickly graded Private Len's case into Top Secret. The rest was up to the people of the secret service, who erased every piece of evidence. That way, Kaito didn't have to account for the missing papers, ensuring Nurse Rin the chance to continue her mission.

After the evidence was cleaned up, the former captain downgraded the case from Top Secret. Just in time; hours later he recieved a call from General Kamui himself about the case's grade. Kaito apologized for "putting the check in the wrong box" and informed him that he corrected his mistake. Even the General has no control over the "swabbers" of the secret service. Stopping them or impeaching them was impossible even for him, since their direct superior was the unquestionable Emperor himself.

Kaito waited a few days before he changed the status of the "Private Len Case" back to Top Secret. The next day he was appointed into sergeant by General Kamui himself. With this clever move the general managed to make himself Kaito's direct superior, monitoring his moves personally.

Once again, Kaito was forced to do nothing.

'Time passes too quickly' Sgt. Shion sighed. 'And yet, this stupid war is still raging on. How many lives needs to be lost until they finally realize how pointless this bloodshed is?'

'Too many' answered Miku. 'On both sides.'

'Damn right' agreed Kaito and took a big sip fron the flask.

'You still believe than Len-san is alive, don't you?' asked Miku quietly.

No answer left Kaito's mouth. Yes, in secret he's been thinking about the lost private almost every day in his free time. He read every report he could without taking too much attention, but he didn't get anywhere. Nobody found the _Zero_ 's wreck, yet even the private's corpse...

'You see' Kaito spoke up. 'I had a strange dream tonight.'

'Really?' Miku smiled.

'Really!' Kaito nodded. 'In my dream, I saw Len. He was standing on the coast of some sea, staring at the smoking ruins of a plane. Yet, when he turned around, he looked perfectly fine and healthy, and... and...'

'And...?' Miku goaded him curiously.

'...he smiled at me' finished Kaito.

Only those can understand the impact this dream had on Kaito who personally knew the private. Private Len has never smiled at a soldier, not even at Kaito, whom he considered to be his best friend. But when he was looking at Nurse Rin, he smiled. And that smile fit him like a fiddle.

'We have to wait' said Miku. 'We cannot do anything else.'

Kaito groaned in agreement. Miku stood up from his lap and said on her most cheerful voice:

'Now I have to go back. Chaos must have broken out in my absence. But I want to take a look at your gypsum in the evening, so be sure to be at my office at nine, okay?'

Kaito saluted. Miku laughed and as quietly as she came in, she left the office. Sgt. Kaito watched the teal hair disappearing before he returned to his reports. Right now, he felt extremely lucky.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Citation from an Imperial Japanese Navy report about the island of Bali:

 _"...the matter of invading the island is becoming more and more urgent. The power of General Cho is spreading quickly over the local tribes, successfully preventing the American forces from taking the island. He has armed the natives and trained them to be obeident and disciplined, putting them on pair with armies of smaller countries. The person of Cho is a mystery; he is presumed to be Chinese, but he was never seen personally. Until further negotiations it is adviced for Japanese soldiers to stay away from the island of Bali..."_


End file.
